KOTTER’S EIGHT STEP MODELApproaches to Managing Organizational Change

Prepared By

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Manu Melwin JoyAssistant Professor

Ilahia School of Management Studies

Kerala, India.Phone – 9744551114

Mail – manu_melwinjoy@yahoo.com

KOTTER’S EIGHT STEP MODEL

• 30 years of research by leadership guru Dr. John Kotter have proven that 70% of all major change efforts in organizations fail.

• Why do they fail?• Because organizations often do not take

the holistic approach required to see the change through.

• However, by following the 8 Step Process outlined by Professor Kotter, organizations can avoid failure and become adept at change. By improving their ability to change, organizations can increase their chances of success, both today and in the future.

KOTTER’S EIGHT STEP MODEL

• In “Leading Change” (1996), Dr. John Kotter outlined an 8-Stage Process to Creating Major Change:

Step 1: Create Urgency• Develop a sense of urgency around the

need for change. This may help you spark the initial motivation to get things moving.

• Open an honest and convincing dialogue about what's happening in the marketplace and with your competition.

• What you can do:– Identify potential threats, and develop

scenarios showing what could happen in the future.

– Examine opportunities that should be, or could be, exploited.

– Start honest discussions, and give dynamic and convincing reasons to get people talking and thinking.

Step 2: Form a Powerful Coalition

• Bring together a coalition, or team, of influential people whose power comes from a variety of sources, including job title, status, expertise, and political importance.

• Once formed, your "change coalition" needs to work as a team.

• What you can do:– Identify the true leaders in your

organization.– Ask for an emotional commitment

from these key people.– Work on team building within your

change coalition.– Check your team for weak areas.

Step 3: Create a Vision for Change

• Link ideas and concepts to an overall vision.

• A clear vision can help everyone understand why you're asking them to do something.

• What you can do:– Determine the values that are central

to the change.– Develop a short summary (one or two

sentences) that captures what you "see" as the future of your organization.

– Create a strategy to execute that vision.

Step 4: Communicate the Vision

• Communicate the vision more frequently and powerfully, and embed it within everything that you do.

• Use the vision daily to make decisions and solve problems. When you keep it fresh on everyone's minds, they'll remember it and respond to it.

• What you can do:– Talk often about your change vision.– Openly and honestly address peoples'

concerns and anxieties.– Apply your vision to all aspects of

operations – from training to performance reviews.

– Tie everything back to the vision.

Step 5: Remove Obstacles• Put in place the structure for change,

and continually check for barriers to it.

• Removing obstacles can empower the people you need to execute your vision, and it can help the change move forward.

• What you can do:– Identify, or hire, change leaders whose

main roles are to deliver the change.– Recognize and reward people for

making change happen.- Identify people who are resisting the change.

– Take action to quickly remove barriers (human or otherwise).

Step 6: Create Short-term Wins

• Create short-term targets – not just one long-term goal.

• Each "win" that you produce can further motivate the entire staff.

• What you can do:– Look for sure-fire projects that

you can implement without help from any strong critics of the change.

– Don't choose early targets that are expensive.

– Reward the people who help you meet the targets.

Step 7: Build on the Change

• Each success provides an opportunity to build on what went right and identify what you can improve.

• What you can do:– After every win, analyze what

went right and what needs improving.

– Set goals to continue building on the momentum you've achieved.

– Keep ideas fresh by bringing in new change agents and leaders for your change coalition.

Step 8: Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture

• Make continuous efforts to ensure that the change

is seen in every aspect of your organization.

• It's also important that your company's leaders

continue to support the change. This includes

existing staff and new leaders who are brought in.

• What you can do:

– Talk about progress every chance you get.

- Include the change ideals and values when

hiring and training new staff.

– Create plans to replace key leaders of change

as they move on. This will help ensure that

their legacy is not lost or forgotten.